ADVICE NEEDED:

ellenaoakley

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Apr 21, 2019
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I've had my mare for five years now and she's prone to laminitis and a good-doer so every spring when the sugars increase she gets grazed with a muzzle since we don't have the option of stabling or strip grazing etc. But this year the grass in our field is quite short but the spring sugar is there (as soon as any sugar comes back she's impossible to catch) and she's been jumping out the field to try find grass because of her muzzle so I was looking for an alternative to a muzzle until the grass gets longer. TIA.
 
I don't know what alternatives there are other than move her to somewhere she'd be easier to manage. Be aware that if the grass is very short she won't be able to get it through her muzzle and that would make jumping out a sensible option! Put her muzzle on the ground on a typical part of the field and see what goes through the hole - is it long enough for her to bite off and eat? If it isn't then you can't muzzle her.
 
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Can I ask why you can’t strip graze? Are you on a livery yard that doesn’t allow it?
If so, your best thing would be to look for somewhere else. A decent livery yard would want the best for the horse which would mean allowing strip grazing for laminitis prone horses.
I have the same problem to be honest. An overweight horse and grass too short to use a muzzle. Luckily I bring in at night and have also upped the exercise to try to get him moving more
 
I would strip graze and as previously said if it's not possible you probably need to find another yard.
Alternative might be a track system. Probably not possible if your not allowed to strip graze. The consensus is that they encourage more movement, but you need to use hay pretty much all year round. If you have a track system. It might be possible to have a couple if places where you can close off to funnel horse into to catch. Then open up again once caught.
 
I must admit I have doubts about strip grazing laminitics since it's giving regular access to fresher grass which they'll binge on. I'm of the view that poor grazing, if necessary supplemented with soaked hay, is the better option - realistically the grazing is usually only poor because they're eating it as fast as it grows.
 
I strip grazed my recovering laminitic all last summer with good results. I had my summer paddock divided into two, grazed one half with other horses before putting my laminitic mare on it so it had the lushest part eaten off then gave her about a foot of fresh each day. At the same time I took a foot off the other end each day to allow it to rest. When the whole lot had been grazed, I grazed the rested bit with other horses for a day and transferred her back into it. It kept her with enough to trickle graze but keep her weight stable through the most worrying period of the year.
 
We're struggling for grass here, we've had so little rain it just hasn't grown really but that hasn't stopped Jess getting mild laminitis in a 20x20ft pen on barely any/old scrubby grass while she's meant to be resting a sprained suspensory :(
If she can't get enough bulk through the muzzle then supplementing her grazing with a small soaked hay net twice a day will let her fill her belly and get the roughage she needs, hopefully it will calm those hunger pangs and stop the bids for freedom too :)
 
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